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PNS Daily Newscast - March 21, 2019

The nation’s acting Defense Secretary is under investigation for promoting Boeing, his former employer. Also on the Thursday rundown: The Trump administration’s spending blueprint being called a “bully budget.” Plus, a call for the feds to protect consumers from abusive lenders.

Senate Vote Expected today on Campaign Spending Limits

PHOTO: Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio is among the 40 senators cosponsoring a constitutional amendment to give Congress and states control of political campaign spending. Photo credit: Martin Falbisoner/wikimedia.

July 10, 2014

COLUMBUS, OH - A vote is expected Thursday in Washington on a constitutional amendment giving Congress and the states control of political campaign spending. The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider Joint Resolution 19, which is co-sponsored by more than 40 senators.

Jonah Minkoff-Zern, campaign co-director at Public Citizen, said the resolution would help reverse the effect that big money is having on elections, following multiple U.S. Supreme Court rulings increasing campaign spending limits.

"Across political lines, people are saying that they want a constitutional amendment," said Minkoff-Zern. "That they want big money out of our political system. And that they see that they're no longer in control of the people who are supposed to represent them."

Minkoff-Zern cited Supreme Court rulings, from Buckley v. Valeo in the 1970s, to the more recent Citizens United and McCutcheon cases, determining that spending money on elections is a form of speech or opinion. Campaign contributions, no longer simply campaign messages, are now a First Amendment issue.

The group Move to Amend has led a national campaign to end what it sees as the deterioration of democracy.

According to Joy Arnold, who chairs Central Kentucky Move to Amend, passage of the amendment would send a false message that the problem has been solved.

"Because most of Congress has been put where they are by large contributions from corporations and the wealthy," said Arnold, "we don't think they're in any position to regulate campaign finance. We need to have it clearly declared that money is not speech."

Arnold said a constitutional amendment should also make clear that corporations are not 'people.'

A Senate subcommittee approved the resolution last month. Passage by the Judiciary Committee would likely lead to a full Senate vote later this summer.

Minkoff-Zern said the Senate considering such a constitutional amendment is a win for the American people.

"For the over 550 local municipalities that have called for a constitutional amendment, for the 16 states that have called for a constitutional amendment, it's a huge victory, the fact the U.S. Senate is taking it up for a vote."

Passage of a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote of Congress, and support from three-quarters of the states.